By ERIC FRANCIS

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION - Hartford Police have identified the woman whose body was found Tuesday inside the Cassella Recycling Facility on Route 4 as White River Junction resident Jessica Jo Morehouse, 34.

The announcement of Morehouse’s identity early Friday afternoon followed an intense investigation this week that included an autopsy at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington and notification of her next of kin.

Morehouse was known to police and probation officers on both sides of the Connecticut River as someone who had struggled with heroin use over the years amid several run-ins with law enforcement.

Morehouse’s body was discovered at 9:20 a.m. in a section of the Cassella facility that is used specifically to process cardboard which has been collected from designated “cardboard dumpsters” at businesses that use large amounts of boxes, such as grocery and convenience stores.

“Investigation has revealed that Morehouse was more than likely sleeping in a dumpster,” and may have died in it before the dumpster was picked up, brought to the Route 4 facility, and subsequently unloaded, police said in a release on Friday.

“Preliminary autopsy results indicate that this is likely an accidental death,” the release continued.

Jessica Jo Morehouse in court in 2019. Eric Francis photo.

Typically it takes about two months in Vermont to get complete toxicology test results back from autopsies so cause-and-manner of death investigations are usually not formally concluded until after those results are sent to the medical examiner.

“Numerous businesses within the Hartford area have been identified as having recycling bins (that were) picked up by Cassella and transported to the facility that morning,” police explained.

“Investigators are working with Cassella and area businesses in an attempt to identify the area (Morehouse) may have been in,” police said, adding “This is an active investigation and appears to be an isolated incident.  There is no risk to the community.”

Police last week were seen in several businesses in White River Junction asking for video surveillance camera footage of areas near where dumpsters were kept to see if they could learn anything about Morehouse’s movements prior to her death.